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A Zest of Life

France & Belgium Fashion Diary

Wednesday, 28 December 2016

Over the holiday break, I finally got the chance to visit France and Belgium. I actually lived in England for about 5 years when I was very young and so I had in fact visited most of the European countries already...so every time I pestered my mum about letting me go to Europe, she would always tease me by saying that there's no need because I already went! But we all knew that I had remembered nothing of it, because I was way too young. But hey, I guess that's a smart tactic to bring your kids travelling before they're old enough to spend all their money away shopping! LOL nice going, mother ;)

But after multiple attempts over many years, I finally got to convince her to take me back to Europe over the Christmas break! We went for about 2 weeks and visited these cities: Paris, Montpellier, Lyon, Brussels, and Brugge. It was a short trip and so we were running a pretty tight schedule, but I loved every bit of it.

There's so much I could write about my trip to France & Belgium but I don't want this post becoming a novel haha. So, I'm going to dedicate this post as a diary of my outfits that I wore during my trip, along with some recommended sightseeing spots! I was going to include my food adventures in here, but I figured that deserves its own post...so look forward to that one!

Outfit 1

Here's what I wore when I went to catch the sunrise by the Eiffel Tower! I thought I'd have to wake up really early, so I was happy when I searched up and found that the sun rises pretty late in France. I woke up at 7, got ready and hopped onto the metro by 8, and made it just in time for the most breathtaking view. For those of you wondering where the best spot for viewing the Eiffel Tower is, I recommend taking the metro and getting off at Trocadero station. The spot where I took these photos is literally around the corner from the metro exit!

Outfit 2

On my second day in France, I wore a super comfy oversized sweater with a lightly shimmered black pleated skirt. In the top left photo, I'm standing in front the Louvre Pyramid. This glass pyramid is definitely a must-see tourist spot, but if you're interested in museums, I would definitely recommend you to check out the actual Louvre Museum as well!

In the other two photos, I'm in the garden of The Palace of Versailles. I say garden, but this was no regular backyard. It was absolutely huge...but nothing less of what you'd expect from the royal residence of Marie Antoinette. The garden was one thing, but the Palace itself was something else. Every room, every hall, every corner was so beautifully embellished. It was pretty unreal realizing that I was walking where the royals used to spend their lives.

Versailles is a little bit out of the way from Paris (about a 2hr drive) but I definitely recommend taking a day trip, even a half day trip, to this palace.

Details

Sweater: H&M | Skirt: H&M | Boots: Public Desire

Outfit 3

I wore this outfit when I explored around Champs-Élysées. On the left, I'm standing in front of The Arc de Triomphe! The street was so brightly lit up and festive.

In the center photo, I'm at the Place de la Concorde. It's one of the major public squares in Paris, boasting a couple of beautiful fountains and a large Ferris wheel.

In the third photo, I'm sitting by the Pont Alexandre III bridge. It's a beautiful white bridge lined with ornate lamps, probably one of the most extravagant bridges I've seen!

Details:

Jacket: Zara | Shirt: Club Monaco | Scarf: Aritzia | Boots: Zara

Outfit 4

I didn't get to take many photos in Montpellier because I was way too preoccupied admiring it's architecture. To be honest, I knew Montpellier would be a cute little city, but I wasn't expecting too much. Little did I know that I'd step into what I might consider one of my favourite cities of all time. Each and every building was so so intricately detailed and I just loved the row of balconies lining each floor. The people were all so kind and everyone just seemed to be enjoying life and taking it slow...it was such a pleasant change from the bustling, hectic city of Paris. Everything about Montpellier was pretty and quaint--even the small alleyways, ones that would be considered sketchy in large cities, was picturesque.

If you guys are familiar with Aritzia, you've probably heard of their Montpellier sweater...and of course, I would wear this sweater here in Montpellier. There was no way in heck I'd miss that opportunity (don't judge OK).

Details:

Sweater: Aritzia | Pants: Club Monaco | Jacket: Mackage

Ok, enough of France. Let's move on to Belgium!

Outfit 5

Brugge is an old-fashioned city in northwest Belgium. What I loved most about it were the canals than ran through the city, the cobbled streets on which horses trotted by with their carriages, and its historic medieval-like buildings. This city felt like it came out of a storybook! I definitely recommend visiting Brugge. Plus, they have some of the best chocolates, like Dumon Chocolatier ;) SO good.

Outfit 6

Here I am in Brussels! Although all of Brussels was gorgeous, especially with the Christmas lights decorating almost everywhere and everything, I think my favourite spot has got to be Grand Place. It was impressive enough during the day, with the large decorative buildings surrounding the square, but when I returned during the evening, it was absolutely stunning. The buildings were lit up perfectly, not too bright and not too dim, allowing it to accent the intricate details lining the walls. I tried taking a photo of it, but no photo could do it justice.

Details:

Cardigan: COS | Shirt: Top Shop | Jeans: Abercrombie & Fitch

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And that's about it for this trip's lookbook!

Thank you and hope you enjoyed this little travel/outfit guide! If you have any questions regarding the cities I visited, please do drop a comment below! I'd love to help :)